Ten Miles of Autumn Leaves 十里秋叶 (Hana ✗ Sen)

[Mu]

He rolled his eyes at her. "So now he shows concern," Nishibyakko sighed. It probably had something to do with the fact that a woman was involved. For now he was going to say nothing, but he did not regret crushing that feather of his. He found a little bit of joy in knowing that having a feather plucked brought the chicken pain, the vain and arrogant creature screeching up in the clouds would have made Nishibyakko chuckle if he was not in pain himself.

The god allowed himself to be pulled up, heaving one arm around the miko's shoulder with a groan. Standing up was awkward for him, finding his limbs unresponsive and weak with the poison in him. How shameful that a god could be fell so easily by something as simple as tengu poison. The cons of being away from heaven were beginning to pile on top of the god of autumn. That place was the home of the gods were one could heal one's mind and body. Having boycotted, Nishibyakko had technically not returned home for a long, long time. Even though he was still in his own territory, it would not heal him as quickly as being in the presence of Amaterasu. But being near her now would make him feel even more sick - as well as disgust.

He was unnaturally silent at her insults, he had nothing to say, or was simply too tired to jab back. Nishibyakko had a feeling she was hiding her concern with her usual behavior around him, but the god was thinking of other things. Stumbling to his feet, he walked with her, following the spiders that were leading the way. Every now and then they would stop and look behind them to see if they were following, and the god was hindering the pace they could go with his injuries.

"... Can we take a detour?" the god suddenly asked, peering into one of the cluster of trees intensely. "There is something I need to see."

 

[Hana]

And so the not-so-merry pair that was Nishibyakko and his belligerent follower waddled their way through the dark forest. Kiyoko chewed on the inside of her cheek, more than just a little disconcerted at coming close in contact with the kami. This was not her first time, he had carried her back home before, but this was the first time that she was the more conscious of them. And he was awake, the first time she carried him - dragged him - back to her home he had been out cold. This was really, really the strangest situation. And it felt like they were going to reach their destination at a snail's pace. She had to be careful not to trip over a raised tree root or a bush or rock, the god's weight caused the both of them to walk in a painstakingly slow way.

She stopped when he spoke up... The spiders ahead of them also halting at the god's voice. Turning her head to look at him, she squinted. The dark made it harder to pin what look he wore on his face at the moment. "... Okay." Something about his tone told her it was another one of his odd moods. Readjusting her hold around him and his arm on her shoulders, she shrugged. "Point me where you want to go. And make it fast, you really are heavy."

 

[Mu]

"That way." He pointed into the darkness of the woods, where hardly any sunlight shined through the canopy. There was no path there, thus the way was covered in roots and leaves that disturbed their footing often, and the god had to rely on the priestess to move about. His legs were unsteady, but he managed to cross over anything that might have tripped him, one arm across the miko. To be fair, where he was going was so important, even if she had not been helping him, he would have crawled to the place himself. Nishibyakko had done it before. It was not new to him.

When they finally entered the void, surrounded by trees so tightly packed together it was surprisingly they even grew up this well, one would notice that light did indeed seep in. Small patches of lights that were reminiscent of fireflies dotted the ground, and the sound of chirping birds and running water made it sound like a haven, a quiet and dark haven. That was why Nishibyakko had chosen this spot specifically for the many stones he had to erect in honor of her.

He pulled her towards the center of this makeshift room or cave made of trees, where light beamed across an ancient rock that stuck up from the ground. Moss and vines covered it, and it looked worn with age. It was definitely something far beyond Kiyoko's time. With a grunt, he slid his arm away from the miko, falling to his knees in front of the grave. Quietly and without turning to the miko for help, he began to pull the vines off from strangling it, scraping away what moss he could to reveal deep carvings on it. The name 'Wakahirume' was cut into the rock roughly, as if the person who had done so was struggling with holding the knife. Clapping his hands twice, the god silently sunk into prayer with his head down, zoning out completely from his surroundings.

 

[Hana]

Kiyoko was honestly quite confused as to what was going on in her god's head, but she could feel the silent determination from him. The movements must have pained him more than he would admit, she had only just wrapped him and put pressure on his injury earlier. Yet here they were, her trying to support him, him with his unsteady footing. If she hadn't agreed with him, the girl had the worrying concern that he might have walked or crawled his way to wherever this destination was, no matter how hurt he was. She retreated into her own thoughts with a sigh, only observing Nishibyakko without comment.

She blinked as soft lights slowly became more and more prominent ahead of them, surprised. A small grove? The trees were clustered together so densely that they made natural walls. They passed the threshold into the small clearing in the middle. Taking a breath at the sight inside, the priestess looked around at the place. Where are those sounds coming from? If she listened closely she could detect the sound of running water, a burbling stream or river, but there was no body of water inside the space itself. And more out of place was the sound of birds chirping, when there were no birds at all inside.

It was a pretty place, with the small and gentle lights reminiscent of fireflies dotting the ground like tiny stars. But, she realized as she stared at the erected pile of stones at the middle, it was meant to be a grave. What a strange sight it made, one lonely grave in the middle of a dark forest. Who buried that person here? Her eyes settled on Nishibyakko at her side... Wakahirume...? Without a word, she let the god pull away and watched as he fell to his knees. It was such a strange, humble action to see from one like him. He started to pull the vines away from the grave, the name slowly showing and confirming her pondering. That person again, huh? The engraving looked worn down at the edges, yet still cut crudely enough...

He clapped his hands as a sign of respect, startling her out of her confusion. Kiyoko stood uncertainly behind him, wondering why he brought her into such a private moment in his life. It was now even clearer that whoever this Wakahirume was, they left such a great impression on Nishibyakko. Enough that the name followed him into his dreams with a tone of grief and longing. Was Wakahirume... human, or not? Something didn't add up... The name sounded unlike that of a human's. It sounded lonely and forgotten.

She pursed her lips, feeling at once sorry for both the kami and Wakahirume. Damn, whatever must have happened with them must have been horrible. It was disturbing on many levels to understand this side of Nishibyakko, but there was no other way. As he was lost in himself, either in prayer or memories or both, the girl bowed low towards the grave and also clapped her hands softly. Even if she never knew this person, she was still a miko... And mikos respected the dead, who now dwelt in the underworld. The prayer from Nishibyakko was too low for her to make out and join in with, so she just murmured a short, standard prayer and stepped back, moving to stand at the exit of the grove to wait for him.

 

[Mu]

He wondered how she was now, in the afterlife. At least she was not alone in that place, and the first grave he had dug for her, he had given her her loom, so she would have something to do there. Her favourite thing to do, to make clothes and weave beautiful materials with her most treasured looms. Perhaps she could make her beautiful kimonos for those who dwelt in the afterlife as well, or be reborn as a beautiful maiden who blessed the mortal realm with a gift of weaving... the possibilities were endless, and although it once pained Nishibyakko to know that he was unlikely to ever meet her again, he prayed for her future happiness and prosperity.

May life treat you well wherever you are. He would have preferred to say it to her face to face, but that would be impossible. At least she had not died Forgotten, a mindless entity emerging from a deity... only to be slain by mortals wielding god-slaying swords or demigods that reared their heads once in a blue moon, now that would be a disgraceful way to die. When he recovered, he should return to her grave with a proper offering. How rude of him to have approached her without something, even a fruit would have done the job. But he was tired, and clouded with memories of the past. To have passed her grave, he thought it would be an insult to the weaver of the sun.

Clapping once more to end the prayer, he unsteadily stood himself up, limping towards the priestess - though he tried to hide it. The god's eyes were turned away from Kiyoko, as if he did not want to meet her eyes nor answer any questions she might want to ask him. He wasn't in the mood for that. He sunk back into a silence neither of them were used to, and he said nothing as they continued their way with the spiders leading down the unseen path.

 

[Hana]

Of course she noticed his avoiding eyes, but Kiyoko wasn't about to disturb him. He looked so solemn it would have been a bit embarrassing for both their parts if she asked him about that person, but she noticed his very obvious limp. On the way to the place where the spiders still waited for them, she chewed the inside of her cheek. The silence was very, very pointed and poignant from Nishibyakko's end, it was beginning to affect even the girl herself, who shot him troubled glances from time to time. Did he need more help getting back to the spiders and along the way to the cave...? Unable to stand not saying anything, she drew towards his side and grabbed his arm. "It's faster if I support you." This time, she didn't hesitate with wrapping her arm around his back and hefting his over her shoulders.

She didn't ask him about 'Wakahirume' or the sadness that lingered in his eyes, understanding someone who wanted to be left alone when she saw one. That time at the grave was just going to be a strange and intriguing incident in her mind, to be thought and mulled over when she was on her own. With a small sigh to herself, she let him lean his weight on her again and started walking.

"... Say, do you want me to get you something to eat when I leave you at the cave?"

 

[Mu]

He stumbled a little as he walked, but concentrated on the path ahead of him. He was leaving his body in the hands of this miko and her spiders, the ones that crawled all over the forest floor leading the way. A god would never be in this condition, where mortals had to care for them, but at this point Nishibyakko didn't really care. Who cared of they looked down at him with scorn, now was not the time to be thinking thoughts that he had pushed aside long, long ago. Kiyoko's voice beside him was distant, like she was standing on the other side of a field, or she was speaking through a veil of water. He found himself taking a moment to understand what she had just asked, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"No," he muttered. He had not eaten anything since the morning, but he was not hungry. There was plenty of food in the forests if Kiyoko looked. Wild life was everywhere. There were animals she could hunt, fruit she could pick. Mushrooms hidden in the shadows, edible and poisonous. If she was going to be leaving him in a cave... "Can you find me a light source?" the god perked up a little. He wasn't going to sit there alone in the dark.

Suddenly he narrowed his eyes at her, almost accusingly. "And don't pray for another feather," the usual jabbing sneer had returned to his tone. The one where he seemed like he was putting her down at the same time as making him sound like he was better than everyone else. Better than that chicken, anyway. The god of the West did not need his help.

 

[Hana]

"I was only asking to be polite. You're getting food, anyway." She sighed at the uncooperative tone the god had taken. Even if he did not feel hungry now, he would feel hungry later. Hadn't he admitted to her that gods who hadn't received offerings for long spans of time felt hunger akin to a human's now? If he could feel hunger, and if he could feel pain, then his own healing would ensure that his body would be crying for something to replenish its needs later onward. Besides, she was feeling a bit hollow in her own stomach by now, even if she didn't quite feel hungry. Kiyoko took on a businesslike tone, narrowing her eyes at the path ahead of them. "If you're going to recover, you need to eat. God or not, if you can feel hunger? I bet that you need something in you to help you along. I don't have offerings here to help you out unlike at the temple."

The priestess scowled at the reminder of the crushed feather, their only light source earlier. What the hell was the god's problem with Minamisuzaku? The four seasons were supposed to be in harmony, or something like that. She hadn't exactly believed one of the uncle's stories about the great tiger and the fiery phoenix being natural enemies. To have it confirmed like this was more than just a bit ironic. "I didn't pray to Minamisuzaku Okami-sama for any feather. It just floated down. Out of nowhere," the girl replied flatly. "Considering your state I don't think you should be so prideful as to turn down help from anyone."

Was he stupid, or not? Help was help, he had just gotten stabbity-stabbed with an arrowhead by some insane tengu who had the guts to go after a great kami. Well, at least he was back to his high-and-mighty attitude.

The spiders scrambling ahead of them, over tree roots and on stones and rocks, finally stopped at a dark... Hole in what looked like a large rock. It was a low cave, one where they had to sit or lie down to be comfortable and one where they had to carefully make their way out without hitting their head on the rock ceiling. At least, Nishibyakko had to be careful. She was rather good at squeezing through small spaces or fitting herself in them. "It's not like I'm leaving a patient alone in a cave. Don't be stupid."

She jerked her free hand towards the spiders who waited on them, patiently. "They're going to look for fallen twigs or branches - whatever works - and rocks to spark a fire." Kiyoko softened her tone as she addressed the spiders next. "Could you please retrieve those for us? Just some twigs, branches, and rough stones." As they clicked in agreement to her and scurried off to help each other carry those objects, she turned to the god with a scowl in the dark. "Now, you sit down your ass and do what you do best. Lounging about doing nothing and taking shots at me. Or rest, whatever you want."

 

[Mu]

The god groaned. "I have been in even worse shape and nobody helped me then. I do not need his help, out of everyone in the world. I would rather take advice from someone sensible and understanding like... Genbu. I'm not taking anything given to me by a toxic little chicken." He was surprised at the outburst, he was already tired out from the battle and the poison, and the dreams that had haunted him had not yet left him. The sparks of the past, the nausea and the limpness in his body made moving around very difficult for the god. But he continued to stumble on with the help of Kiyoko. Even though she was snapping back at him with her usual snark, something he wouldn't have tolerated and would retaliate, he wondered if she was doing this on purpose. Nishibyakko knew of doctors who chatted with their patients to keep their mind off the pain in their bodies. She was somehow encouraging him to talk more, and he didn't know what to feel about that. He was letting her influence him. Maybe he was getting too comfortable around the miko during the month he had stayed at the temple.

As the cave appeared in the distance, the god let out a soft sigh of relief. His legs were weakening by the moment, and sitting under some shelter would do him good and give him a comfortable place to rest. The roof of the cave was just high enough for the two of them to sit upright under it, and it looked dry and clean. Not the most beautiful place to take a rest, but Nishibyakko had slept in even worse places. Travelling around under many guises he had slept in the carts of merchants, hiding under the straw, or unfamiliar woods filled with creatures that sniffed at him curiously. If he had not chased them away from his camp, he had no doubt they would have tried to take a good bite out of him.

With a sound of pain, the man crouched and slowly crawled into the darkness, making sure he stayed near the entrance. Falling onto his back, he closed his eyes as his skin met the cool rock surface underneath him, exposure to the sun nonexistent. "I'm tired," was all Nishibyakko simply said, his chest heaving irregularly as if he had an a mile. It would take a moment for the god to calm down, his body as well, relaxing as he melted into the coolness of the cave. The iciness soothed his muscles, like chilly hands holding and embracing him. He didn't want to go to sleep in fear of the past, so he tried to remain awake with his eyes closed, one finger tapping against the cave floor to keep himself occupied.

 

[Hana]

The sounds of labored breathing caused the girl to frown in consternation and a hint of worry. Even the act of walking towards the cave had physically taxed Nishibyakko, where he had just run a considerable distance earlier and didn't look like he could break a sweat. He was a giant white tiger back then, but a normal walk shouldn't wind him as much as it did. As the god crouched and crawled into the dark cave, which was thankfully not dank or musty, the girl sighed. She crouched, much less worried about hitting her head compared to the god and made her way towards him with ginger movements. "It's been a long day," the girl agreed, shrugging. She sighed and scratched at her cheek a bit more, flakes of dried blood digging underneath her nails and falling off her skin. The priestess grimaced in disgust at the feeling, but didn't make a peep about it. "I'm surprised I didn't get killed or something earlier." Kiyoko laughed a bit nervously, the joking tone didn't really make it sound funny at all.

She frowned as she noticed that he still seemed to be reverberating with small shivers. It was too dark for her to see him properly, but she could hear him shudder. Reaching over in the dark, the girl's hand bumped into his mouth. Kiyoko jolted slightly at the feeling of the shuddering breaths puffing between his lips and retracted her hand, aiming a bit higher. Her palm landed tentatively on his forehead. "You're still too warm." Her own hand was positively cold against the god's clammy skin. His lashes, she noted, were quite long, fluttering against her hand for a moment as she slowly pulled it back. The girl blinked at the stray thought, before she realized he was fighting off sleep. What was the idiot doing now? "You could sleep, you know. I'll wake you up."

The spiders had come back with the required tools for a makeshift fire soon enough. With a sigh, she left the god to his prone lying position against the cave wall and went to start what was hopefully a cheerful and warm fire. A few rather pathetic sparks as she clashed the rocks against each other, curses, and repeated attempts later, there was a small flame nestled with the variety of branches, twigs, and other pieces of wood that the spiders found. It was situated a comfortable distance away from Nishibyakko.

Kiyoko held his water skin up in his face again, kneeling beside him. She sighed as she realized he was too... Lazy... To move on his own and help himself to a few gulps, grumbling at him to tip his head back and just swallow down as she gave him small mouthfuls. After he had gotten some more water in him again, she pulled back. "Sleep now. I'll be back."

 

[Mu]

Taking a drink of water was doing wonders to him. His overheated body cooled down, and his clammy skin was still disgustingly damp to touch but somewhat getting better. The room was no longer spinning so hard, and the sensation of wanting to vomit subsided as the water trickled down his throat, soothing it. He tilted his head back into a resting, comfortable position after she moved away with the waterskin, and barely registered her words before he quickly sat back up, grabbing hold of her wrist. There was barely enough space between the top of his head and the cave, and if he were to stood up he would hit himself squarely. Nishibyakko was already tall for a human man, fitting himself into such a small space was not normally something he would do.

"No, wait. Stay here," he said before realizing what exactly she could misinterpret his words as. "It's dark outside, and you're likely to get lost." The god blinked at the spiders outside, all peering in with their beady red pupils, wondering what to do in silence. "They are just children, they won't know the difference between what is poisonous and what isn't, if you ask them to get food." He knew she wanted to find food for him even though he had mentioned he wasn't hungry. Anything he said had fallen upon deaf ears, but she was stubborn as a mule in the first place. Even so, he valued her safety in this situation.

He beckoned for the spiders to join them in the cave as well, where it would be dry and less scary for small youkai like them. A wrong hand placement could easily squash them. They sat themselves away from the fire, but close enough to feel the warmth radiating from the little flame Kiyoko had managed to ignite. The cave was small enough to be bathing in a golden and amber light, the fire crackling in the distance. Looking up, Nishibyakko could see their shadows, two big figures and a cluster of smaller ones, as well as the ever-changing tongues of flame in the center. "I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight, anyway."

 

[Hana]

... Wait. The hand snagging her wrist wasn't there earlier. Kiyoko blinked owlishly at the long fingers and wide palm encompassing her wrist, and then back at the god. "But-" She wanted to contradict him, but then realization sunk in. If she was going to go looking for food now, she would have to be alone in the forest again. In the dark, where she was likely to trip or stumble over a root without a good light source. The girl slumped slightly and sighed, blowing a stray lock of hair aside and looking disgruntled with her pursed lips. "This isn't how I'm supposed to treat a patient." Granted, she hardly ever had to treat anyone despite her learning under Hotaru... She pulled her wrist out of his hold. "... You can let go now. I'm not going to fly away or anything." Judging by how the spiders had huddled by the fire just like them, it looked like they were in for a long night.

She scooted away at a bit more respectable distance between god and miko. The flames danced merrily, eating away at the chunks of wood and branch as the rocks were arranged in a neat little circle around the pile. Kiyoko held her hands out to feel the warmth radiated from the fire, leaning more comfortably against the cave wall. The stones were a bit cold, but their fire was enough to warm the small and almost snug space up. And since the space was small enough, they were able to cast long shadows across the cave walls. "Why not?"

He looked pale and sickly, and he also seemed close to drifting off. Kiyoko frowned at him, the flames casting a warm glow on her skin and bringing out the piercing red of her stare. If it were any other person than Nishibyakko, they would have been unnerved at the look that she cut then. Warm light and shadows playing on her face, bright red eyes almost aglow, she didn't look very far away from a youkai in the right angle. "You get nightmares?" It was the only thing that was closest to what she heard from him earlier. She couldn't tell him, she knew, that she had heard him muttering that person's name a lot in his delirium.

 

[Mu]

The corner of his mouth twitched upwards into a minuscule smile, the god unaware he was even smiling as he stared into the elongated shadows on the walls of the cave. "Nightmares? No. I don't have a lot of nightmares, but sometimes we have unwanted dreams. Dreams that are pleasant and full of warm feelings but not something we want anymore." His voice trailed off, the smile fading from his lips as he curled up, drawing his legs around him until he was sitting cross-legged. These dreams had memories that he would have loved to relive once in a while, if Wakahirume was alive, that is. There was nothing wrong with the majority of them, and her death was the only nightmare in the cluster of recollections. Walks in the gardens, weaving on the loom, those mundane things were heavenly and seemed like paradise to him at the time. Now, it was painful to think about it much less dream. The first few times Nishibyakko had shed a tear, but that was a long time ago.

Suddenly the god seemed to brighten a little, bringing his hands out and watching as his shadows followed. With one hand forming into a loose claw and the other perched on top, thumb pointed upwards, the head of a tiger was mirrored onto the cave wall. "I remember I did this with someone special. She taught me how to make a tiger with my hands." He looked at Kiyoko with unreadable eyes, full of vulnerable emotions. "Come try."

He took hold of her hands to mimic the position he was just in, gently moving her fingers so the head of the tiger could be properly formed, looking at the wall every so often to see his work. "... Have you heard about Forgotten Gods?"

 

[Hana]

"... Eh." She couldn't take her eyes off of the god as one corner of his mouth twitched into that strange half-smile, though he was thankfully unaware or ignoring her gaze as he stared into the fire. It spoke oddly of half-remembered things and a touch of longing, and she didn't even know him as well as she should have to be able to know that. Hardly any nightmares, since he had little to fear as a kami. But pleasant dreams that apparently hurt him despite how it should have been good for him to remember. The strange secret smile had slipped off as she murmured, "Must be nice having few things to fear, and having little to no nightmares. Though your pleasant dreams sound just as bad." Kiyoko wondered at what those would be like for her. Did she dream of her adoptive parents? More often than not she was just reminded of the time that followed that period.

His following actions took a moment to sink in and register. Kiyoko narrowed her eyes in confusion at the sudden smile he broke out into, he was doing that weird shift from one mood to another. And then she blinked at the shadow... Hand shape he formed, following his gaze to the shadows it cast on the wall. It only took a moment to connect. Her lips twitched despite herself as she snorted in amusement. Nishibyakko was making a tiger head shadow cast against the cave wall. She caught his words, but made no comment about it, mentally tucking it away in the puzzle that was 'Wakahirume'. So she was a lady, huh?

"Try?" Kiyoko echoed before the god scooted closer, the girl wavering and eyeing him with both curiosity and wariness. He took her hands in his, startling her terribly that she almost pulled them away before she realized he was just doing that... Shadow thing. His large fingers were more capable of careful manipulation than one could have thought, moving the girl's into position until her hands projected a tiger head shadow on the wall. Just like his earlier. She was a bit dazed at how fast all this went by, eyes darting between the shadow, their hands, and then at the god's face. "F-forgotten gods... Can't say I have, unless my uncles' scary stories c-count." A stutter had found its way into her voice, but she fought to think of the topic. Forgotten gods.

Well, if the man and animal eating monsters that her relatives described back then counted... She bit her lip. "They're gods that have been forgotten, no one believes them in their hearts anymore." The miko whispered the next words as if they were a terrible secret. "... The emptiness eats them, since gods get lonely without anyone to remember them." It was a horrible fate for anyone, to be forgotten. It would be as if you never existed, for a human. But for a kami...

 

[Mu]

Letting go of her hands, he moved to make one of his own. The head of a snake reared its head by the tiger, his arms serving as its long serpentine body. Nishibyakko would move his hands and fingers to make the shadow appear to be moving its mouth, opening and closing to mime speech. "Yes. A god may seem powerful to you humans, but it is us at your mercy. A god cannot exist with belief." The god closed his eyes briefly, settling down as if he were going to tell a long, long story. Stories that normal mortals wouldn't hear in their lifetimes, or as obscure legends and tales passed down by those old monks that walked the streets and were considered lunatics - sometimes gods in disguise.

"Not only does emptiness eat them, but they cease to exist completely. Yes, they are no longer a god, but a monster of what they once were. All that loneliness and hatred builds up to create a monster." Nishibyakko waved his hand, the orbs flowing in like water from nowhere, taking the form of a snake. Except it had no flesh, it had no life, it was completely comprised of bones. A skeletal serpent that rattled and hissed with soulless eyes, its shadow large and intimidating on the wall. "Did you know a long time ago, when there weren't a lot of people around on this land, there was a god of plagues?"

The silvery snake slithered across the air, ducking and flying straight past the spiders, sending some jumping up out of fright and hiding behind their siblings. "He was a snake god, and one who was feared. He used to be worshipped by cults and those who wanted to harness the fears of others. But as medicine improved, and food was being grown successfully and distributed, he was forgotten. And when he turned into a monster, it had to be us other gods to destroy him." Nishibyakko's voice was grim, he had been there when the god of plagues turned rogue. Gods were not allowed to kill other gods, but at that point, was he considered a deity? No, merely a menace consumed by negative emotion. "After he died, his last breath was used to curse those who had lost faith in him."

The god's eyes darkened. "It wasn't his choice to be born a god." He had said this many times before. Not all gods were happy, living in paradise and drinking and eating to their heart's contents. Just like humans, they had emotions. Ironic how despite that, they looked down at humans with amusement.

"Those mortals stood no chance. They went insane from the symptoms and died early, some killed themselves before medicine was created for it. I think you would have heard about it. The Garagara Plague. They call it that because you hear ringing in your ears, like a rattle of a rattlesnake."

 

[Hana]

If gods were at the humans' mercy, why did he fight so hard and sneer so viciously at them? Kiyoko wanted to ask him that, but instead just watched the shadow of the snake on the cave wall, its 'jaws' opening and closing to the sound of Nishibyakko's voice. 'A god cannot exist without belief', what did that exactly mean if the kami like Amaterasu were supposed to have existed before man? Izanami and Izanagi, who were supposed to have been there before the world was created? Shaking off those thoughts, she felt a shudder run mildly down her spine at his story. He was using those mysterious orbs once again, the material shifting into the form of a snake like liquid that shimmered. Its flesh was stripped away, leaving only bare metallic bones behind.

"A g-god of plagues?" Her voice pitched higher than usual, she looked up uneasily at the metallic, serpentine skeleton that slithered in the air. "That's horrible..." Why would humans worship a god that could only bring harm to them? Was it the humans' fault that such a kami existed, if they wished to harm each other? These were all questions she didn't want an answer to, and just hearing Nishibyakko's voice... Something told her that he had been there to see all these events he spoke about.

She scoffed weakly at his words, "It's not anyone's choice to be born." Gods didn't have a choice in the matter, but did humans choose to be born into bad lives? Good lives? Everyone spoke of fate as if it was an inevitable thing, a thing that they couldn't change or fight against. If just like those kami, humans were born for a reason, what kind of reason was it that she - or that girl before her - The girl stopped, looking askance at the dark look in his eyes. And here he always went about seeming proud that he was a god, or looking down on humans for not being as good as divinity.

Anyway, she had to continue listening to his story. As it went on she could feel her face drain of color, recognizing the name of the plague. "That illness was caused by a god?" A former god. A cursed one. This had caused the terrible illness that had ravaged villages far away generations ago. It had even somehow spread to places as far as this, due to people fleeing and carrying the taint of the plague with them. Her shoulder bumped against his side, and she jumped as she realized she had been edging closer to him all this time. Unlike other times where the girl usually would have put up a face of embarrassment, she just scooted away and hugged her knees. She took a deep breath and tucked her head downwards, her voice coming out muffled. "Why are you telling me this?"

 

[Mu]

"No, it is not our choice." Nishibyakko snapped his fingers, watching as the liquid silver melted away to take the form of two figures dressed in what appeared to be flowing robes. One had their arms raised, sinking lower and lower towards the cavern floor, while the other rose upwards with their heads up high. "We are simply a part of an ongoing war between the great gods, Izanami and Izanagi. Because they continue to bitterly fight, many will die and many will be born." After he had turned around and saw what his wife had become when he went down to the depths of the land of darkness to retrieve her, that was when life was truly created. Those whom they had already created will die, but Izanagi would create more. Self-siring beings of breath and blood, the earth would be covered in free-thinking mortals who knew nothing of their true origins.

He himself was a descendant of Izanagi, created to help bring balance to the world. He held the West in his claws, governed it so that none who traveled that way would get lost, watched over the people diligently as he was told. But in the end, look at where he was now. Nishibyakko sighed softly. He was a god but ultimately, even he and the others did not know what happened behind the scenes, in the mind of Amaterasu and Izanagi.

The god quietly watched as she curled up, having moved away from him but still staying by the fire. Their fronts were warm now, and he could feel it embracing him, relaxing his muscles and joints. "Why?" he echoed. Why was he telling her? Forgotten Gods were not common, it was unlikely she was going to see one in her lifetime. So why was he indulging in child-like story-telling time? He even found himself enjoying it, telling stories to someone. It was because he had company, wasn't it? There was someone for him to really and truly talk to, not like those days he spent by himself in the rain and in the snow and under the burning hot, watchful sun. The god shrugged as he reached for a piece of wood, throwing it into the flames. "Perhaps one day I will become just like the god of plagues."

 

[Hana]

Something about the casual, off-hand way he mentioned his own possible deterioration caused a small part of her to rear its head back in protest. Kiyoko looked up and away from her knees and stared at him. "How can you say that about yourself?" She only realized the raised tone of her voice, as if she was about to shout, when the words came clumsily tumbling out. It was a demand, as if Nishibyakko had any reason to answer her. And she sounded too upset, felt that way as her eyes pierced into his, boring into the pale violet as if looking for answers. How could he say those things with a shrug? "Can't you love yourself more?" Her voice continued to rise, the fear melting away. "Do you think I wouldn't feel anything if you ended up a husk?" Thoughts of what he would look like as a being consumed by the void in his chest-

For a split-second that she hoped was not prophetic, she saw in his place not the eerie, pale-skinned man she had first met but a being with skin as dark as the onyx of the earth, skin that melted and slipped off in places to ooze on the cracked stone of the ground. His eyes were like burning embers in place of molten gold, dripping oddly with golden ichor that was tinged with a sickly green pus that almost resembled tears. And when she looked away from him, disturbed, the miko found herself not inside a small yet warm cave but in a barren and cracked dry wasteland.

The sky looked like it was oozing as she looked up, there was no other way to describe it. The clouds were not the pure white of the havens but a hateful red, the rest was a burning, hellish shade of orange and the moon was dripping from the clouds. The ground shattered nearby and there was the sound of screaming, faceless humans fleeing from a melted yet still moving hunk of blackened flesh and fur. He was almost unrecognizable, but something told her in her heart that it was her god. Or what was left of him.

At his feet were withered husks of humans and plants all shriveled that soon melted into putrefied liquid, and wherever his paws that showed bits of sharp white bone and yellowing flesh the ground seemed to blacken and rot.

"I tRUsteD yOu the mOsT ouT of everYonE."

The ground split open right underneath her back then and she felt herself falling, that terrible accusing gaze looking down on her. Down, down, down she went but this was a vision and she couldn't scream-

Kiyoko came back to herself with a shriek bubbling up in her throat, grabbing on to the nearest thing and yanking it forward. The girl didn't notice that she had grabbed a sleeve of the kami's torn shirt, her heart beating too frantically until it was the sound of roaring drums in her ears. She let the shriek escape her then, startling the spiders as the small girl started screaming. A new sensation was taking up residence in her head in the aftermath of the vision then, all smiling and full of teeth and it frightened her almost as much as what she just saw earlier. "GET OUT MY HEAD!"

 

[Mu]

The god seemed surprised at her words, and blinked at her blankly, not sure what to make of her opinion of him and what he had said. "You already know a lot of people have lost faith in me, so it's only a matter of time..." Nishibyakko wasn't sure how to feel about this... strange loyalty. It was not something he had seen in a while, not when many of his followers had converted or died. Their belief in the god of the west wavered over time, and Nishibyakko was no longer upset when those who once took shelter under his wing turned away from him. It was to be expected.

So for Kiyoko to suddenly raise his voice at him, speaking as if she would genuinely be upset if he had become Forgotten, a strange and unfamiliar emotion rose up in his chest. Was it pride, pride that there was someone still out there who had unwavering loyalty to him when he was once a noble autumn god? Was it joy, knowing that she wouldn't turn his back on him? Was it something else, something he couldn't comprehend? For once, he was rendered speechless, left sitting there blinking at her with a dumbfounded look - a shock he had received for the first time in a long, long time. Was she someone he could... trust? Could he tell her his worries and his doubts, his fears of what might happen to him and the world if he were to pass - would she make fun of him in this moment of weakness? Would she even believe him, or would she - in the end - also turn away? The future had many paths and the god was not sure what she would take.

Then suddenly, she screamed.

The god flinched at the high-pitched sound, as did the spider youkai - jolted awake from their sleep, as they had cuddled up together by the warmth and dozed off - shocking them. He felt her grab at his shirt, and the god instinctively pulled away, accidentally toppling her in his direction as Nishibyakko upset her balance. Just in the nick of time before her face would plant right into the cave floor, the god caught her in his arms, still unsettled by earlier. "W- What?" his voice faltered, an anomaly in his confidence. "Are you alright?" the god gave her a rough shake. "Oi, miko!"

 

[Hana]

Grabbing her and shaking her proved to be a mistake as she started thrashing in his arms, limbs flailing with no aim but to lash out. It was lucky for Nishibyakko that he could wrestle the miko down as she could have hurt herself, her eyes clenched tightly shut so she couldn't see the disturbed looks everyone in the cave was shooting her. "Out, out, OUT DON'T -" The rest was drowned out by a muffled scream, Kiyoko having clamped down on her own lip, her teeth sinking into it until it bled. It looked like she did it a lot, forcefully stopping herself. If she bit or chewed any harder on her own flesh it would end up pretty bloody. She railed on the god again or tried to, legs kicking out blindly unless he stopped her.

Her breathing came too fast, her heartbeat thundering as the muscle overworked itself, and it looked for all intents and purposes that Kiyoko was having a fit of madness in the forest. Her sane thoughts had long fled as she opened her eyes, this time going from closed too tight to wide open, and she looked through NIshibyakko instead of at him. The black of her pupils was almost overtaken by the pools of red, her eyes looking almost bloodshot. "... Don't let them get you. You know what happens to people who are caught by her. The game neeeever ends." Kiyoko had let go of the abused flesh of her lip by then, and when she spoke it was in a frightened whimper. And then she arched upwards, eyes rolling back as a few shudders passed thorugh her body, before she went limp.